


Ice Dragon's Lament

by zephyrdragon362



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2017-12-21 22:46:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephyrdragon362/pseuds/zephyrdragon362
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Requested by one of Master's old friends, Gray becomes the experiment of an artificial dragon lacrima. Unable to work with his new power as a second generation Dragonslayer, he was teamed up with Natsu for assistant but as the time goes by, the rival relationship began to take a new dynamic. And what's all this about dragon instinct?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail and will not be making money off this fiction.
> 
> one of many stories being moved from my FF.net account

In the country of Fiore, in the bustling town of Magnolia lies the guild Fairy Tail. Within the rebuilt walls of the guild lies the rowdiest bunch of wizards you ever did see but despite such a fact, they get the job done. The worst of the bunch was Team Natsu consisting of Erza, Gray, Lucy and finally, the dragonslayer known as Natsu. The stellar spirit mage was currently at the request board, looking for something to do that will help begin to pay her rent for the month, humming thoughtfully as she looked for something easy that she could do on her own. "Ah, just who I wanted to see." Makarov, the guild leader, spoke as he came up to the mage. "Ah, hello Master. How are you?"

"Fine, just fine. Quite a hectic few days but everything is going quite well. But I must ask, do you know where Gray is?" he questioned. Before she could answer, the resounding thud of a body hitting the floor and the crackle of ice and fire magic in the air alerted the two of yet another spar between the fire and ice wizards. Lucy gave a sigh before nodding down to the first floor. "There's your answer." she muttered tiredly, trying to wonder if there was ever a time the two WOULDN'T spar with each other the moment eye contact was made. Makarov huffed as he turned, hopping onto the banister and looked down to where the two were now throwing punches instead of magic, one table iced while another was half charred.

"Damn exhibitionist!"

"Stupid slanty-eyes!"

"Enough! Stand down NOW!" Makarov thundered, causing the hall to go quiet and the two fighting to freeze in their places. "Enough roughhousing, Gray. I have a request for you." he spoke and Natsu whined irritably. "Why does **HE** get a request, huh?!" Natsu inquired with a huff. "Because this calls for an ice mage and he's the only one we have available." The Master spoke, sitting on the banister. Gray huffed, dusting off his pants as his shirt had gone missing during the brawl. "As long as it isn't another hotel asking for air conditioning services." Gray grumbled in irritation as he remembered the last time he took on such a request during one of Magnolia's heat spells. "No, no! Not at all! I have a friend you see, and he's been looking for an ice wizard that would provide some help with his latest test. We haven't spoken in a while so it was quite a shock for him to get in contact with me with such. You will be paid for the time spent so you aren't working for free."

Gray hummed and gave a nod. "Sure, I need some time to myself and get away from flame breath here." he said, jabbing a thumb at Natsu who was still pouting over Gray getting a solo request.

"Wonderful! I'll write up the directions to his place immediately so you can go!" Makarov said excitedly as he hopped off the banister to do just that. Lucy hummed as she listened to the exchange and wonder just what this friend of the Master had planned for Gray. She knew well enough the other could handle whatever was tossed at him but for some reason, there was a niggling feeling at the back of her mind that something strange was about to happen. Once the map was written, Gray was on his way out. Makarov smiled as he watched him leave while Natsu continued to pout as he sat at the bar. "Oh stop, Natsu. If you're really bummed about your fight being cut short, you can just start it up again when he gets back." Lucy said as she walked over to him. "Come on, you can join me for my request if you promise to not cause any damage to the area. I like to actually get my reward and not have to pay for something you wreck."

He sighed but nodded, a grin plastered on his face. "Got it! Let's go, Happy!" he called as he went to grab his bag. "Aye sir!"

0

"Oh Makarov, you gullible old fool. Finally my dream shall be realized thanks to your assistance. For years I have watched your little ice mage grow and improve with his magic and became the strong maker mage he is today. Now, he is finally ready for the next step." A voice spoke, a glowing crystal gleaming from the pedestal it sat on behind him, radiating the great energy of an artificial dragon.

"He is finally ready to step up and take on the power of a dragon..."

0

Gray sighed as he looked at the map after stepping off the train into Onibus. "Now...where to go from here..." he muttered as he began to walk through the town towards the outskirts of the town. "Walk a few miles out and I should see a house there. I'll meet Master's old acquaintance there who supposedly has a job for me. This better be something worth the trip." he muttered as he began walking to find the place that Makarov told him was supposed to be there. It was an hour, he felt, by the time he spotted the rooftop of a single villa. "Well, guy must be loaded." he hummed as he went down the beaten path of the hill that overlooked the villa and made it to the door. He knocked and waited a few before the door opened on its own and he blinked, guarding himself just in case something suspicious happened outside of meeting the guy.

He looked around, seeing the house was well cared for, not a speck of dust anywhere in sight although the lack of maids or butlers still got to him as he walked. "Hey! Anybody home!? I'm a member of Fairy Tail that was requested by the Master to come out here!" he called as he stopped in the spacious foyer and waited for any sort of sign or answer of someone being there. "Ah, welcome welcome, Gray Fullbuster~" A voice spoke from within the vacant walls. "Why did you call me here?" he questioned. "Just for a simple job. Nothing too serious at all. I just need to borrow you and your magic for a few days." The voice spoke once more. Gray sighed at the time he was given. _'So much for this being a quick job.'_ he thought. "Alright then. Since it was the request of the Master." he replied and the voice chuckled.

"Thank you, Gray. Now, follow the floating lights and you'll be where I'll need you." he said as the dimly lit lights floated down a single hallway off to the side and he began to follow them.

0

A week later, people at the guild hall began to talk. There was no word from Gray or the man that the Master knew so well which began to worry the elder mage. "He should've been back or at least been heard from by now." Makarov murmured which didn't escape the sensitive hearing of Natsu whose knee bounced with anticipation. For what he didn't know but with the lack of any word from the ice mage, he expected the Master to send him out with possibly Lucy or Erza to find out what was wrong. Lucy sat down where he was, nursing a cool drink in her hands. "So, what do you think is up?" she questioned, knowing what would be on the fire mage's mind.

"There's something suspicious about this guy Master says he knows so well. Not like I care but even for someone like that exhibitionist, if something was fishy, he would've been out of there by now." he said as he looked to Lucy. She nodded. "You're right...this isn't like Gray." she said softly. "Well as much as we would like to do something, that's up to the Master. We don't know the location of this man or what to even begin searching for that will lead us to Gray. We'll just have to sit and wait to see what will happen next." Erza said as she walked over. "Are you not the slightest bit worried though?" Lucy asked.

"I am terribly worried but fretting over what could be done isn't the best option right now." she said, crossing her arms. Lucy sighed but nodded in response as she took a sip of her drink while Natsu continued to sit there, grinding his teeth and his leg bouncing even more before he couldn't stay quiet anymore and jumped up. "Come on, Gramps! Isn't there something any of us can do!?" he called and Makarov sighed. "I know you along with everyone else is worried about Gray but I want to trust my judgment on things. I'll give it three more days and if I don't hear any word from either, I will send out three of you to his villa to investigate." he said. "Three days!? And what if something goes wrong any more than it has during the week!?" Natsu protested vehemently. "Natsu, calm yourself. You know the Master would have good reason to do such. It would be pointless to send out people to find Gray and he ends up coming back while the group is gone." Erza murmured and he growled but sat back in his seat. Erza will never learn why the dragon slayer was so peeved but could only chalk it up to the fact that he wanted to continue the fight from before that was left unfinished between the fire and ice mage.

0

Back at the villa, the man that Makarov called friend watched over Gray who rested in a glass cage. The other was knocked out and had been for quite a while now but the results that the man wanted to see was promising. Frost had collected on the glass as the magic surrounded the ice mage in a gentle mist, forearms encased in ice-like scales and his fingers ending off with deadly claws. "Perfect, simply perfect. My project is coming along nicely. Took a few brutal screams but in the end, he is almost complete. The Ice Dragon's dragonforce is positively magnificent." Gray groaned softly as he began to wake and went to place a hand over his head. "Ugh...what happened..."

"Ah, sorry Fullbuster. But you were particularly rowdy so I had to tranquilize you to continue on with my project, you see." The man spoke. The other blinked, his mind a muddled mess but as he brought his hand down and saw what had happened, he jumped up quickly only to fall back from the dizzy spell he suffered from his quick movements.

"What...what did you do to me..."

"I had asked Makarov about you. A fine specimen of an ice maker mage. I wanted to see that power for myself and the possibilities of merging your power with that of a dragon. So for years, while you became stronger and stronger, I worked and worked to create the ice dragon lacrima that is now merged within you. A little unstable but with the proper training, you will become a fine ice dragon slayer." he said with a rattling chuckle. Gray growled as his magic began to pour out, the mist rising and frost creeping over the glass more. "You won't get away with this!" he snarled, leaping up once more to punch at the frost covered glass but hardly left a mark.

"Ah ah, I took into account of freezing and shattering the glass, you see. I made sure it was reinforced well enough to handle your power. You could be stronger but as you recover, you are nothing but weak." he spoke once more. "Master will never approve of this from you. To hurt his children is asking for a beat down." he snarled as he back from the glass, falling to one knee from overexerting himself. "Perhaps...but I will be long gone by the time you leave here."

"Not if he sends someone out for me...for something simple as a visit with no communication...he won't sit around for long before sending someone here to retrieve me. We'll just have to play the waiting game." he murmured. The man only chuckled again before walking off. "Indeed, indeed. But you'll be gone long before a group can find my villa, you see." he spoke before leaving through the large wooden doors, bringing silence into the room once more. Gray sighed before looking to his arms and sighed. "How the hell am I'm going to control this.." he murmured. After his encounter with dragon slayers before, he knew a bit already of what changes he'll have to deal with now. Problem is the will to control all of it on his own. He knew well enough Natsu would be a complete dimwit on teaching him what there is to know about dragonslayer magic and he still barely trusted Gajeel even after his assistance with Laxus during the festival.

He sighed and sat there, waiting for the long haul of things but he may as well see what he can do on his own before the crazy mage came back to run tests on him.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Gray groaned softly as he woke to a meal sitting before him along with a bucket of ice sitting next to the tray. "Eat that all up, Gray. I want to soon begin the tests of your new-found ice power." The man spoke and he growled in annoyance but did appreciate the fact that man was willing to go out of his way to at least make a meal for him. _'I just hope Master sends someone out soon. I don't want to think of the consequences if I don't meet his expectations with this damn lacrima inserted into me.'_ he thought as he began to eat. "You know you won't be able to get away with this for long once Master finds out what you did and left him with no word about my whereabouts or condition." he muttered in between bites of the fish platter sitting before him. "That is true but by the time I'm finished with you, I will be gone, you see." the mage spoke with a chuckle. He growled once more but he continued to eat, knowing that if he could possibly gather enough strength, he could break out of here himself. _'But if not...send someone quick, Master...'_ he thought silently to himself.

0

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Happy questioned as the other mage sat on the bed in Lucy's home. "I can't take this waiting bullshit! Gramps needs to let us go and beat the crap out of this guy! Friend or not! He hurts a member of Fairy Tail, he hurts each and every one of us!" he said vehemently. "Wow, Natsu. You must be really worried about Gray, aren't you?" The cat questioned. "N-no! He's just being a stupid, weak snow cone if he can't escape some crazy guy's villa after a week!" he defended. Happy only giggled in that knowing way, making Natsu flush in embarrassment. It was a well-guarded secret even from Happy that Natsu was infinitely worried about Gray than most would've suspected out of him. It wasn't because of their rivalry or them being guild members but something much deeper, something primal with his dragon instincts. He didn't know what it could possibly be but he was sure that whatever it was, it would make itself prominent later on once the ice mage was safely back in familiar territory.

"Do you think Gray will be alright?" Happy asked softly. "I'm sure he will. He's a Fairy Tail wizard after all. We took harder hits before and nothing will knock him down." Natsu said proudly before defending himself for the blunt praise he just gave to Gray which made Happy snicker.

0

As the sun rose into the midday sky, Gray still sat in his impenetrable cage. Magic still exuded from his form, his body still trying to control the raging power of the dragon he was now one with but it was still a trying process. He heard the mage outside bustling about, tweaking things and making notes as he watched him like an animal. He hated this greatly, the feeling of being helpless, unable to do a single thing to save someone, even if that someone is himself. He flashed back to when he was only a small child, training under Ur's tutelage alongside Lyon after his home was struck by the rampaging might of Deliora. How he tried his hardest to contend with the demon with the killing spell Iced Shell until he was stopped by Ur who took the fall for him to free him from the darkness that was Deliora. He could feel the tears pricking his eyes but refused to shed them while stuck in this cage.

The freezing mist poured out more from his form, causing the glass the frost up more and the mage only chuckled as he watched the phenomenon with a critical gaze. He saw the look and growled as he tried to force his body to suppress the power slipping from him. _'I need to control this...the sooner I can...the faster I can try to get out of here and get back to Fairy Tail...'_ he thought to himself. "At least there were no side effects to inserting the lacrima into your body. Good, good." The mage spoke quietly as he moved over to the box that held the irate ice mage turned dragonslayer. "But you must learn to control your ice magic. If you don't, you might end up freezing someone important to you, you see. I'm sure you wouldn't want that. If I had calculated my number right, you freezing someone would be equivalent to the power of Iced Shell..."

When those words had left the mage's mouth, he looked up in shock. He seen firsthand what Iced Shell could do and for him to have that power within him without the risk of sacrificing his body frightened him. To freeze someone for life...to run that risk to the guild members of Fairy Tail. He could only imagine the damage it would do if he froze Lucy or Reedus, heaven forbid the raging fire mage Natsu or even the Master himself. He looked down quietly and the mage tsked. "Now now, this is why you're in here and not out there. For the next couple days under my watchful eye, we'll work on taming that power. I still have many tests to conduct on you so having you run off just won't do."

The ice mage didn't look up, he kept his head lowered as the mist came out in a thicker mass, covering the glass box he was trapped in completely in blinding frost that the mage couldn't gaze inside. The mage huffed and moved over to a machine that was hooked up to the box. Typing in a few keys, he turned back to the box as the machine roared to life. Inside, Gray couldn't see what was going on thanks to his own power obscuring his view of what the twisted man that caught him was planning. Vents at the top of the glass cage opened up and hissed in warning of whatever was about to come. Gray looked up to the vents and shot up, preparing for whatever was to come at him. But instead, blasts of red hot heat came from the vents, making him hiss in annoyance. It was nothing compared to Natsu's flames but as an ice mage, fire was one of his least favorite things to contend with as it messed with his normally low body temperature from his ice magic.

And being in a confined space with two vents letting out the temperate heat wasn't helping him any. He began to sweat, his collar slowly becoming damp as he tried to move from the path of the heat coming from the vents. Breath ragged, he turned to the glass encasing him and began to bang on it, to alert the mage that he had enough. He didn't know whether this was punishment or a way to calm down the leaking ice magic he couldn't grip but the heat was becoming stifling. Strands of raven clung to his forehead and the back of his neck as he panted and clawed at the glass now, chipping away frost and ice as he felt himself weakening.

_Too much...too stifling..._

He gasped as he collapsed onto his knees, strength leaving him as he banged on the glass more. He could feel the rivulets of water make a soft splash as he continued to hit the glass, the frost and ice melting away at a rapid pace as the box heated up more and more from the vents. Finally able to see through the frost and ice, he saw the mage who watched, a wicked smile on his face as he watched his suffering. "He...he's twisted..." he gasped before the heat finally overwhelmed him as he slid down the glass wall that separated him from freedom of the outside world, his sight fading slowly to black as he watched the mage finally turn off the vents and their decimating heat and walk away. leaving him passed out in the humid conditions that his magic couldn't penetrate as weak as he had gotten.

0

When he woke, the temperature was back to a reasonable state but he couldn't help by feel sick to his stomach as he moved to sit up. Another bucket of ice sat in the cage but the mage was nowhere to be found. He looked around to find anything, a window or clock that could tell him how long he was out for. But the lack of anything in the room left him clueless and he sighed as he pulled the bucket over to him and munched on the ice in silence. But as he reached out, obsidian eyes widened in shock as he saw the cuffs resting on his wrists. "The hell!?" he gasped as he tugged at them. It was then the presence of a weight around his neck made him realize that a collar was fastened around his neck as well. "Damn you..." he hissed in anger as he tried to pull at the collar, his hands beginning to cast some of his magic before a voice stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that, you see...trying to pry them off with magic will only shock you..."

He removed his hands quickly as the prickling sensation of a shock touched his flesh and his gritted his teeth. "It's a shame, I know, Gray. But I must keep you in line, you see. You get out of control and my research will never be completed."

"Why are you doing this to me!? For what purpose do you have in turning me into a dragonslayer?!"

"That is for my research, you see." Was the only answer he received and that made Gray that much angrier as he stood, excess magic leaking once more and frosting the bottom of the cage. "You bastard!" he roared as he aimed a punch for the glass despite the lack of effort that it would do. The mage tsked again and pressed a button on the controller that his eye missed and he cried out in pain as a shock ripped through him from his neck and arms. He stumbled back before falling, arms clasping his jumping muscles as he panted before glancing to the mage who walked towards the cage. "The power to shock you rests at my fingers, you see. Hopefully this will make you a little complacent to the things I need you to do..."

He growled once more and let out a breath as he curled up instead, listening as the mage went about his business with whatever he had planned for the new dragonslayer.

0

Happy watched Natsu quietly over the first day. He wasn't the same and he couldn't help but he surprised over the amount of worry and anxiety that the fire dragonslayer was showing for the one that is usually label as his rival. The morning he had woken to see Natsu pacing throughout the tiny space in their small cottage in the forest, a calculating gaze on his face. Happy was glad the mage didn't wear a hole into the floor but he got up and asked what was wrong. Natsu says it was nothing but his eyes betrayed his words but Happy refused to press on the matter and went to start on breakfast. Arriving at the guild proved to be just the same but instead of pacing, Natsu sat at a table, a fire shake in hand and his leg bouncing restlessly. Happy munched on his fish as he sat on the table, looking up only when Lucy came over to sit down.

"What's with him?"

"He's worried about Gray. Maybe in truth, he liiiikes him~" Happy said with that teasing slur.

"I'm not worried and I definitely don't like him!" Natsu protested as he glared at his buddy and Happy only laughed to get a reaction out of his friend instead of him just sitting there. "Well, Happy could have a point. You've been doing nothing but sitting here, quietly nonetheless, which is very uncommon for you." Lucy said. "We're all worried for Gray so you're not the only one that wants to go out and find him but the master said to wait so we'll wait." she said. "Since that's all we really can do since only he knows where his friend's villa is."

"But this is stupid! If someone is in danger, we don't just sit here and twiddle our thumbs! We go out and kick some ass!"

"Natsu, pipe down. I know you want to go help Gray but my friend has already proved to be an unpredictable man. Sending anyone there now without sort of plan could end up having Gray hurt." Makarov spoke. "And you think he's not being hurt right now?! Come on, gramps! Just let me go and find the guy!"

"You will stay put for two more days and if nothing changes, I'll send you out!"

Natsu growled in annoyance, clenching the mug tight in his hand to the point that it began to splinter. He couldn't think of a time that he would be this angry at the master. He got angry at him plenty of times before when he tried to make things go his way either with something trivial as a S class quest, being interrupted in the middle of a fight - although for the record, if things were getting broken faster than they could be replaced, he couldn't really get angry over being stopped from breaking another wall or table - but this...

This he just couldn't explain and that in itself scared him a little.

Yes he and Gray were rivals, the ever classic opposites butting heads when rubbed the wrong way, fire and ice which never mixes, but Gray was still a comrade, a nakama, a member of Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail leaves no man - or woman - behind.

Lucy had watched the exchanged quietly and could feel Natsu's rage radiating off of him - or maybe it was his fire magic - and she was concerned if the other could really wait those three days before making a move.

0

When Gray was compliant, the mage took him from the cage, a finger held over the button of the switch just in case he tried something. Gray followed, feeling disgusted as feeling nothing short of a dog being led by a leash. He looked around, seeing door upon door and began to wonder where each one led to. _'Is this even a villa? How huge can one damn place be and looked as if it has hallways that never end...'_ he thought to himself as the mage stopped and he stopped as well. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"Come in, Gray."

He would've very well liked to refuse that option but with a finger on the trigger to cause him a great deal of pain, he stepped into the room, the door closing behind him and a single light turning on. He looked to that spot, devoid of any machinery or traps but was still a tad skeptical since there was only one light illuminating the room and nothing else that he could see. He knew next to their exceptional sense of smell and hearing, dragonslayers had good optical vision but with the way things are, he being a fledgling dragonslayer, his eyes were still that of a human's normal eyesight.

"Well? Go on. And you know what will happen if you refuse so don't question me."

He growled but obeyed, taking slow steps and stepped under the light in the room. The mage smirked from the shadows before chains shot out, catching the restraints on his arms and his gasped. "What are you doing!?"

"We need to gauge your new power. A glass cage could never give me a good reading so we'll do it here." he replied, more lights coming on and blinding Gray temporarily but when his vision came back, he saw a slew of machines around him and sitting above him a lacrima wired to one of them. "Now, that lacrima will absorb whatever you do so go on, exude your power." The mage whispered. Gray physically refused to move, having enough with being used as a guinea pig and the mage tsked. "To force my hand, you know better, you know..." he whispered as he pressed he button and a piercing scream ripped from Gray's throat as he was shocked, his dragon power leaking from his body and freezing the ground around him as the magic began to move upward into the lacrima above. Nodding, the mage moved over to the machine and began tapping a few keys before turning back to Gray.

Clenching his teeth in anger, gray sent a cold glare to the mage. His anger was at an all-time high and he was ready to ice this mage to hell. Forgetting momentarily of where he was and the position he was in, he moved his hand in his familiar ice make pose.

"Ice Make: Lance!"

The shots were fired but only crawled such a short distance before flying upwards and being absorbed into the lacrima. "No...Damn it no!" he cried as he tried once more to attack the mage only to come to the same result. "Yes...keep going...keep going!" The mage said with glee as the numbers filled the screen and he read them earnestly. To see such a sickening sight at the price of his pain and exhaustion made the ice mage even angrier, causing his dragon power to react in the same manner, billowing mist of freezing magic gathering around him and slowly drifting up into the lacrima. The room dropped a few degrees and still dropping, ice coating machinery and the floor but the machines were hardly showing any signs of malfunctioning. They continued to hold strong, continue to collect his data, continued to provide this sick, twisted man with answers for his research.

_Stop it..._

Gray struggled in his binds, ice coating the chains but they were resilient. Even for subzero temperature, where even the slightest tug would make a frozen item crumble away, they held strong.

_Stop it..._

He glanced up to the mage once more, face cloaked in shadows and making him look that much evil. _'You're not a friend of the master...you're a monster...'_

_Stop it..._

"Don't give me such a hateful glare, Gray. This is all for my research." he spoke, pressing the button again to shock the other mage.

_**"Stop it!"**_ he roared, the ice dragon power being unleashed and a raging blizzard erupted into the room, uncontrolled and fierce. Ice coated the floor, walls and ceiling, chunks of ice shot up from the ground, a few short of missing the mage's precious technology. The lacrima above, despite getting frozen as the magic raged through the room, still collected its data, numbers shooting through the roof. He cried out in pain and anger more ice shooting up from the floor as ice crawled up his arms and over his face. The mage watched intensely, grinning a little to himself.

_'Dragon Force...the ultimate form of a dragonslayer's magic...'_

Flexing muscles with strength he didn't know he had, Gray broken through his chains but the rings stayed. That was hardly a passing thought through his rage addled mind, glaring at the mage before lunging for him, ice claws poised for the attack. The mage didn't move, only watched as he came closer and closer. "Sleep." he said, raising a hand and snapped his fingers, a ring coming to life with magic and cast its effects onto Gray. Out like a light, his lunge faltered and the mage stepped aside to watch the ice make mage hit the floor, sliding across it a short distance before coming to a stop. "You will become a troublesome one with that anger but as long as I get my results, your anger would be the least of my problems..." he murmured to himself before dragging the other back to his cell.

0

Like a bolt running through his form, Natsu shot up from where he had his head laying on the table, making Happy jump. "What's wrong...?" he asked softly. "N-nothing..." Natsu replied just as soft as he rested his head on his crossed arms. He felt something tug viciously, like instinct was telling him something...something about Gray. Oh how he could wish to read into them more, maybe even have them lead him to the bastard that is asking to have his skull smashed in by the fire mage. He sighed as he buried his face into his arms, ignoring the once again rowdy beer hall.

From where she sat, Erza watched him. This was still highly unusual manners with the fire mage and she still couldn't place her finger on why Natsu was so worried over Gray. _'Could it be that he likes him in that way...no...Natsu couldn't possibly see Gray in that light. Lisanna or Lucy would be more fitting for Natsu's type...'_ she thought to herself and hummed. _'Hopefully two more days won't make him fly off the handle.'_ She watched Natsu for a moment longer, seeing that it looked as if the other fell asleep at the table and moved her attention back to the untouched strawberry cake sitting before her.

_Save me...claim me...love me..._

The unheeded words thrummed through Natsu's mind and he sighed, wishing to follow that voice and those words but with no leads, it would be a fruitless effort. As much as he hated the idea, he just has to sit and wait.

_'Gray...'_

0

The next day, food was left in the cage for Gray who ate it quietly even though he rather refuse the offer. But as much as he wanted to, he felt as if he did, he would get less and less til he had to obey completely and bend to the mage's whims just for a meal. He already sunk this low, he didn't want to sink further. A tap on the glass made him look up and he growled as he watched the other. "What did I tell you about giving me such a hateful glare?"

"Piss off..." he grumbled as he tore into the meat, looking away from the mage.

"I would but then you'll never know how to keep yourself from freezing your friends or your guild hall. Skill training will begin soon so finish up." he said before leaving the cage and Gray punched the floor. Helpless, that's all he could feel the longer he was trapped. He knew he could probably muster up the power to break free. He was sure that the ice dragon lacrima plus his own ice make magic could exceed well over the mage's expectations of what he could do. Only problem is not just the collar and cuffs he wore but what the mage was capable of. Sleep magic was one after yesterday but he didn't dare to think of what else the mage had planned if he tried for an escape. The size of the inside compared to the villa from the outside made him doubly suspicious and he rather be sure of an escape route than to run around infinite hallways trying to find a way out.

After he finished the food, he sat back and waited for the mage, closing his eyes as he was left to the quiet of his thoughts.

Time passed and a tap made him jump before he looked up to the mage watching him once more, controller in hand as he opened the seamless door that led to freedom. He stood and walked out quietly and watched as the mage walked off. He watched his back, a fist clenching at his side as his magic began to leak, dropping the temperature a few degrees. Not seeing a reaction to the drop, Gray had gotten an idea and he hoped it would work. Training be damned, once he was out of here and back to the guild, trying to keep a handle on the leaking magic until he was accustomed to it can be worked on with the help of Makarov. With that ploy in mind, he made his move.

Following the other mage, he was quiet, watching and calculating. Once in the hall, he made his strike. Raising his hands up quickly to the confining walls on both sides, he unleashed a wave of ice magic, a trail shooting towards where the mage was before making deadly icicles that jutted from the wall. A normal person wouldn't be able to dodge being impaled to death but when the wisps of cold air dispersed, the cloak remained torn in the icicles but the mage was in the air.

"If I wasn't already aware of your incessant need to harm me, that could've very well killed me." he spoke as the hall shifted, the ice crumbling with the shifting walls and they ended up in an open room of wood and steel. Magic circles appeared on the ground before floating lacrima appeared. "Now, your fight lessons begin...now!"

The lacrima shot forward, unleashing a barrage of different elemental magic. Fire, water, lightning, earth...all came flying right for him and he quickly retaliated with an ice shield. "The hell!" he gasped in annoyance as the lacrima moved about him quick as a whip, still shooting magic at him from all angles that made him shield and leap from getting hit. One dodge from a lightning bolt had him get hit into the nearby wall from a burst of fire and he groaned as he slid to the floor.

"For the strongest ice mage of Fairy Tail, your skills seem to be sub-par at best..." The mage murmured. "Shut up! You don't know anything!" Gray snarled as he moved to stand and watched the oncoming lacrima which sent out their magic directed right at him.

"Ice Make: Lance!"

The needlepoint lances stabbed through each lacrima, shattering them with ease and he sighed in relief before grunting as he was impacted from the side, another lacrima with three more appearing from more magic circles. "Don't stop there...you still have much work to do before you are done, you see." Slowly standing, he watched the lacrima with dark eyes before growling as he shot forward, the dragon taking over and he began to lunge at them with claws of ice and large masses of icicles that began to cover the room. The mage cackled as he watched him fight, seeing the power that was beginning to grow exceptionally. _'A little longer...force him to get angrier and soon, the last attack I must see will finish my research...'_ The mage thought as Gray continued to fight as more lacrima was destroyed, more taking their place as they hit the ground.

For the next few hours, that's how Gray's day progressed until the lacrima finally came to a stop and sweating profusely, a tired out ice mage collapsed on the ground, his magic nearly used up. "Marvelous, simply marvelous. But we still have a bit of work to do. Tomorrow should be the day my research is complete..." he spoke as he walked over to Gray only to step back as a claw swiped out for his legs. "Still have some fight in you, I see..." he murmured before pressing the button on the controller, making Gray cry out in pain. He ice mage panted heavily before making a sound as he was grabbed by the collar around his throat and dragged off back to his cell once more. Tossed inside, the glass door slid close and he sighed as he laid where he was tossed, too exhausted to put up much of a fight at this point.

"Food will be brought later and tomorrow, your training will be increased two fold." he spoke before leaving and Gray sighed and buried his head into his arms.

0

The next day, Gray was brought into a different room, this one not as open as the last as it held another glass cage, larger than the one he was stuck in but he could tell what its purpose was going to be used for from the wiring and the large machine sitting next to it. The mage forcibly ushered Gray into the cage before the door slid close and he moved over to the machine to start it up to read his power levels. Gray glared at the mage silently before cracking his knuckles, knowing he best be prepared for he wasn't going to escape this any time soon. "See what a little cooperation would lead you to? At least I know I won't have to force you to fight." The mage stated as magic circles appeared and the lacrima appeared from them before beginning their attack and Gray followed, using his ice make magic over the dragon magic the mage wanted to see. The mage watched, seeing that the other was refusing to use his dragon magic and couldn't have that so with a press of a button, the battlefield changed.

Gray could feel something was wrong in the air and his fears were confirmed as the lacrima came at him with heavier attacks, a good percentage of them hitting him after dodging his ice make magic. For each one destroyed, another came and made its attack, hitting him in the back or side and prompted the others to follow. He tried his best to shield and attack but the more he tried, the easier it was for the lacrima to counter and return a shot. _'Damn it...he planned this so I couldn't get away with not showing what he wants...'_ he thought, clenching a fist as a light mist covered it. He swung out as a lacrima came shooting for him, some lacrima flying back as a chunk of ice from the connected punch coursed over the smooth surface before it fell, shattering to pieces. The others that gotten close, trying to fire off one of its elemental magic attacks at him only to meet a punch or kick that left them coated in ice and hitting the ground.

_'Perfect...just perfect...but I must see more...the ultimate attack...'_

He raised a hand, summoning more lacrima, a number than Gray couldn't handle with punches and kicks alone. Not with all of them aiming right for him without rest. He glared at the mage and then to the opponent before him. Then a forbidden thought came to his mind, as he remembered the many times he traveled with this particular team and his own sparring matches.

_What would Natsu do...?_

The lacrima moved and flew straight for him. He growled before taking a large intake of breath, the temperature inside and out decreasing rapidly and the mage watched eagerly, seeing that he was about to do just what he wanted to see. Eyes snapped opened, revealing an icy hue instead of the normal dark blue as he unleashed the blast, a great gust of subzero ice and wind aimed for the lacrima, diffusing the attacks that were coming at him and froze the lacrima, causing them to drop like flies and shatter on the ground. He panted heavily, collapsing to a knee and he took gasping breaths. _'Powerful and simply deadly...to freeze opponents into another ice age. I have indeed created the ultimate hybrid.'_ The mage thought with a grin. _'He may be of more use than a test subject. You've raised a fine mage, Makarov.'_

Gray glanced back to the mage and saw the positively gleeful glance watching him and gulped a bit. _'This guy is nuts...I need to get out of here...and fast...'_

0

When the three days were up and no word from Gray or the mage that had him, Makarov made his decision as he stood before the guild. "We have a situation of great urgency that must be taken care of with haste. I will send a team of three to go fetch Gray Fullbuster from the clutches of a man that I had once called a friend." Makarov spoke and Natsu gave a holler that they were finally able to do something. "Come on gramps, let me go with the search team!" Natsu said as he ran over to where he stood. "That was my plan along with Lucy and Erza." he told him and Natsu gave a wide grin.

"Awesome! Let's go Happy!"

"Aye!"

The two ran out the door and Makarov shook his head as the two women came to him and he wrote down the location of the mage's villa. "Natsu has been waiting for this for quite some time." Lucy murmured as she took the paper. "Do you think he sincerely worries for Gray's health?" she questioned as she looked to Erza. "As a mage of Fairy Tail, even with all the scraps we get into with each other, we don't ever leave a mage behind." she said. "Now where do we need to go?" Lucy looked at the paper and gulped before looking to the door.

"Natsu doesn't know we need to take a train, does he?"

-few minutes later-

"I...hate...trains..." Natsu mumbled as he tried to avoid losing it on the moving vehicle.

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "So much for that bravado earlier." he said with a sigh.

0

"Hmm, seems like they are moving sooner than I had intended. Looks like my experiments will have to be at a standstill for the moment." The mage murmured before looking to the cage. "Our acquaintanceship is cut ever so short but don't worry, for we will meet again. For now, don't slack on your new-found powers for you see...you'll never know when you may need such a thing." the mage spoke once more and Gray could only growl.

"Piss off..." he grunted as he stood up shakily. "Now now, no need for hostility. Look at how much you've grown over the course of time." Gray gave him a scathing glare at the remark. "You will pay for this. If not by my hand then the hand of Fairy Tail and the master." he growled as his dragon power began to exude from his form, causing the glass to once again frost over. "They can try but I wouldn't expect a lot from them." he said with a chuckle. Gray growled once more as he punched at the glass once more but it didn't yield. "You can keep trying that but it would prove a fruitless effort you see..." The mage eyes widened as he continued to watch as Gray kept hitting at the glass, seeing a hairline fracture show among the frosted glass. _'No...it can't be...'_ The mage saw the trouble and began to look for the remote that controlled Gray's collar and cuffs but it was too late.

A roar ripped from the other mage, the glass finally yielding and shattered, freeing Gray as he leapt out from the cage. He glared over at the mage. "You will pay for this..." he whispered as he moved into his usual ice make position. "Ice Make: Lance!" The mage growled before casting his own magic. The villa began to shake and Gray stumbled back, his magic breaking before they reached their intended target. The mage smirked. "And our time is up but I will locate you again. Your magic is becoming stronger by the moment and must be monitored. We couldn't risk backlash, you see." he spoke. "Til next time, Gray Fullbuster!" The mage raised a hand and a blinding light engulfed the room, causing the ice mage to cover his eyes before a sharp sound echoed throughout the air around him, causing him to scream in pain from his enhanced hearing, eventually collapsing as he blacked out.

0

"...ray...Gray...Gray!" A voice called out through his muddled mind and he groaned softly as he moved to sit up before looking around, finding himself outside and the villa completely vanished from sight. Natsu ran down from the hill with Lucy and Erza following and he winced in pain as the fire wizard tackled him. "You bastard! Why'd you go and get everyone worked up about where you were?! I oughta...eep!" Natsu was halted mid tirade by Erza who snagged him by the scarf and tossed him back. "Are you alright, Gray?" she asked. "Not really...I was experimented on by that crazy ass mage...he inserted a dragon lacrima into me..." he murmured.

"A dragon lacrima!?" They all cried and he nodded. "What the hell, snow cone!? You're better than that!" Natsu snarled. "Quiet Natsu. This is a serious matter. This "friend" of the master must be planning something to do what he did to Gray. For now, we must get him back." Erza murmured as she helped the other male up. "Speaking of which...wasn't his villa supposed to be here?" Lucy pointed out as she looked around.

"It was...but he did something and probably moved it somewhere else." Gray murmured, checking his wrists and neck to find the controlling rings gone. "He's trying to make himself scarce so we can't find him easily."

"Then we got our work cut out for us. This man must be stopped and hopefully, can be forced to reverse what he has done to you without any terrible side effects." Erza said with determination.

"Alright! Let's head back and plan to find this bastard!" Natsu said as he ran off once more. Happy fluttered among the others and wondered...

"If Gray's a dragonslayer now...won't he get motion sick too?"

-few minutes later-

Erza, Happy and Lucy watched as both fell into a complete fetal position in their seat as they headed back to Magnolia. "You wimp...can't even handle a train..." Natsu mumbled. "Shut it...I don't want to hear that from you...of all people...slanty-eyes..." Gray spat back.

"Exhibitionist..."

"Flame-brain..."

"Snow cone..."

"Even ill, they still have the time to spit out insults at each other." Happy said with a soft laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

Once they got back to Fairy Tail later in the day, Makarov immediately hopped down from his perch on the bar and walked over to the group. "Gray! What happened to you?!" he demanded as he examined the ice mage, feeling a definite difference in his magic than when he left and could only fear the worse. "That _'friend'_ of yours decided to use me for one of his little experiments over the eight days I was stuck in his clutches." he replied softly, crossing his arms. "What...what did he do to you...?" The guild master asked, a slow hitch of his breath heard as he breathed out the question. "He…he turned me into a second generation dragon slayer. He created an ice dragon lacryma and inserted into my body to fuse with my natural magic..." he replied and Makarov looked down, a dark and pained look crossing over his face.

"I feel terrible…and so very sorry to let this happen to you, Gray...dragon slayers are few and far in between in appearance and Fairy Tail welcomes any with open arms...but this...this is unacceptable and I will take responsibility of this situation." he spoke as he looked up to the mage turned dragon slayer. "Thank you but I'm not blaming you for this in full. I'm just stunned that man has been your friend for this long and suddenly has this complete 180 when you of all people least expected it. You're good at reading who you make friends with and trusted him with one of us for what could've been a simple, friendly visit." Gray murmured. "This is indeed true but at the moment, we need to figure out what to do with Gray. I'm sure he will strike again if his experiment with him wasn't finished completely." Erza quipped and the rest of the guild began to chatter among themselves.

"Right. Other than what happened to Gray, give me a full damage report of your findings when you got to the location." Makarov demanded.

Erza nodded as she began recounting everything. "When we arrived, there was a surge of magical power but it wasn't much to go off on. When we finally got to the location written, Gray was found unconscious and no trace of a house or laboratory. My assumptions says your friend masters in spatial magic and teleported away before we arrived which led to the magical power we felt before we saw anything in the area." she explained and the master nodded. "Alright then, until further notice until we find him, we'll put Gray into protective custody with someone."

Natsu, who was silent at the exchange until Makarov announced custody of the new dragon slayer, perked up at the suggestion. He knew full well that he and Gray never ever got along unless there was a situation that required full and complete cooperation but now that the other was a dragon slayer, practically a newborn by dragon slayer standards, he needed the guidance and protection of someone more experienced. Not to mention deep down he felt his instincts flying out of control, the fire dragon in him urging him to claim the ice dragon slayer, to mark and make him his submissive ice dragon. The call was stifling and if he could bet gold on it, he would expect heat from his own magic to bring the room to a boil if he allowed himself to keep thinking. But as he was thinking currently to keep himself in check Makarov directed Erza as Gray's new housemate.

"What?!" Both Natsu and Juvia cried in horror. "But Juvia can take care of Gray-sama so please! Let Juvia be his housemate!" she cried, water already forming on the floor around her and both Lucy and Cana moved to calm the water mage down before she flooded the guild hall...again. "I would but that would provide more harm than good considering we don't know the extent of his magic control with the lacryma." Makarov spoke. "What about me!?" Natsu shouted, causing the master to look to him.

"And what of you? You would never speak up in a situation like this at all."

"I know that but that's beside the point! He can stay with me at my place! He'll be far from the city in case that bastard mage comes back and less chance of him losing control!" he exclaimed. "Natsu, 90 percent of the time you two are at each other's throats with insults and flinging magic every which way. You too will cause more harm than good just by irritating him and causing his magic to flare when we no next to nothing about the power of the ice dragon lacryma." Makarov pointed out, causing the fire dragon slayer to grumble about the truth behind his words but continued to beg and plead, something way out of his usual character when it comes to his number one rival/partner. Erza watched the scene with conflicted emotions as well as a little amusement. Natsu was always persistent in his need to be there for the action, even if it meant partnering with his greatest enemy of the guild but for him to be this persistent to be close to Gray for the duration of fixing this situation the ice mage had fallen into was definitely something new out of the fire mage.

Gray from where he sat also watched in curiosity. Why was Natsu doing this? He could understand that the other was fired up to deal with Eriol as soon as possible and get him back to normal with no side effects but to go as far as to stand living with him was something he just couldn't process. They never really liked each other, even though it was more by the standpoint of two brothers that get along but would fight at the simplest disagreement, but there was something...something deep inside that was telling him to submit to the request of the dragon slayer. That he would be fine in his hands.

But it was more than that, it wasn't just the care the dragon slayer would provide for him as a freshly born dragon slayer but to train him...mark him...

Gray shook his head before looking at the spectacle going on now. Natsu had given up with pleading and was now prostrate before the master, head bowed low as he asked again to take care of Gray, much to the shock of the rest of the guild that watched on with slack-jawed expressions.

_Go to him..._

_Go to him..._

"Master...I don't really mind if Natsu stays with me..." Gray finally admits, turning his head. "We'll work out the details of arrangements of whether he stays at my place or vice versa later." With his admission, everyone turned their gazes to Gray who felt like shrinking more into his seat. The hall was quiet before everyone, including Natsu, reacted in the same manner

_**"EH?!"** _

After recollecting himself and banishing previous thoughts, he glanced back up once more. "What's wrong with agreeing to one of Natsu's harebrained ideas for once? I'm sure I can handle myself should something go wrong or he becomes the usual annoyance and come back to report to you about it. If that comes to happen, I'll gladly go back to the original plan of having Erza staying with me or however we're planning those arrangements." Gray explained. "Yeah...wait...this isn't harebrained in the slightest, you jerk!" Natsu snapped as he glared at the other but it was hardly a heated one as relief shone more in those amber eyes than anger. "Ah...ah...oh fine. We'll go along with his idea but if anything and I mean **ANYTHING** goes wrong, you come right back and Erza will be called to take on the rest of the watch while we try to seek out Eriol's new hideout." Makarov announced and both nodded.

"Got it."

"Alright, you two are free to go then. Natsu, I expect you to be on your best behavior. No fights of any kind. We need to work in finding a way to remove that lacryma and therefore we can't let it ingrain further into Gray's body. If it gets settled in too much, removing it could lead to the result of him dying from it." Natsu huffed as he leapt from the floor and crossed his arms. "I won't! Come on and give me a little credit of taking this seriously!" he growled and he could already hear other murmuring that keeping a cool head in anything that was to be taken seriously was not in his matrix. He growled again and would've barked at them to shut up but the tirade was stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go." Gray said, removing his hand and turned to head for the doors of the guild. Natsu followed behind him immediately with Happy fluttering after the two. When the doors closed, Makarov rubbed the bridge of his nose to combat the oncoming headache. "I hope I won't regret this as I did allowing Gray to take on that quest under false pretenses."

0

"So where exactly are we gonna stay?" Gray asked as they walked. Natsu walked ahead of him, taking the lead with hands behind his head as Happy flew beside him.

"Our place."

"Your place? Why yours?"

"Easier to keep track of you."

Gray huffed as he halted in the middle of the street. "That's a stupid reason. We both will be in the same place so if we stay at my place, we'll be close to the guild hall if we need them and you'll still be keeping an eye on me." he said, crossing his arms and ignoring the fact his shirt had mysteriously disappeared from his person. "And besides, it's not like I'm allowed to go on missions as long as I'm like this." he continued before sneering slightly. "Which also leads into how I am going to cover rent. If this takes more than a month, I'm screwed..." Natsu had stopped to glance back to him.

"We'll help pay it." Natsu replied and Gray blinked as he looked to Natsu. "Alright now I'm getting suspicious of your motives. It's one thing to ask to stay with me while we're dealing with Eriol and the lacryma business but now you're offering to cover my rent too. Who are you and what have you done with the dumbass squinty eyed bastard I've come to know?"

"Shut up! You need some help until we take care of this thing! That's all!"

"Or he liiiikes you~" Happy chimed, making Natsu sputter before he went about chasing the flying cat. "No I don't! Where the hell did you get that from?!" Gray only watched the scene before him as he ran a hand over the back of his neck. What changed in Natsu since he left and was captured by Eriol? It was a question to ponder but he won't worry about that right now since there were more pressing things to worry about. Once Natsu finally gave up with chasing Happy, the three left Magnolia and headed out into the forest that surrounded it, eventually reaching Natsu and Happy's rustic little home. "So this is the mysterious location of your house." Gray murmured. "Yep! Just Happy and I out here!" Natsu claimed proudly as he opened the door.

"Come on in!" Gray stepped inside once Natsu moved out the way and his face had fell completely at the sight of what laid inside. Then again, he shouldn't expect anything outstanding from someone who would destroy a few building in the middle of a major fight. _'I shouldn't expect them to know how to keep anything clean...'_ Gray thought before looking to Natsu.

"And where am I supposed to sleep?"

"You can take the hammock. We'll take the couch." Natsu replied. Gray gave a nod as he looked over to the hammock. Considering he was already without a shirt, he stepped over piles of strewn clothes and junk as he made his way to the hammock. Standing before it, Gray slipped off his boots and climbed into his temporary bed. First thing he noticed was the scent. Albeit faint, it still had a hint of Natsu's musk and the faint scent of embers from his fire magic. There was a little bit of Happy hidden in there as well but it was mostly overwhelmed by Natsu's scent. He sighed softly as he nestled himself into the hammock, pulling the blankets over him and relaxed a bit. Deep inside, he could feel the artificial dragon in him purr with content at the alpha's scent that surrounded him. _'This...feels right...almost...but...it's only temporary...'_ he had thought as he began to drift into a deeper slumber. Natsu wasn't far off but he just couldn't sleep. Happy was curled away into his side, snoring a sign of a fitful sleep while he was stuck awake and thinking of things that he shouldn't be completely focused on. He could feel the primal instinct of the dragon within him that made up his very being, urging him...calling for him to make the claim...that the vulnerable ice dragon was there and awaiting for his first move. He had the submissive dragon within his territory and away from all other competition. All he had to do now was commit to his desires and claim him as his own for good.

_Mark him..._

_Claim him..._

Gritting his molars and biting his tongue was the only thing that kept him from getting up and doing what urged him. Oh how he wanted to listen but he had made a solemn oath to the guild master. He can't without any rhyme or reason break that trust now. Not to mention that doing something that Gray didn't want from him would only push him away, probably for good and he didn't dare risk that kind of chance when he finally got him into his home and comfortable. Rolling carefully onto his side to avoid waking Happy from slumber, he caught a glimpse of the hammock across the room. He smiled softly as he watched the content rise and fall of Gray's breathing. Gray was calm. Gray was safe. Natsu will protect him at all cost. _'Goodnight...mate...'_ Was his last grasping thought before he was finally pulled under to the comfortable grip of sleep.

0

The next morning, Natsu yawned as he woke to the sun gleaming into the room from the open curtains of the window. Stretching his body fully out on the couch languidly, he took a glance around before finding that both Happy and Gray were absent from the house. Driven into alarm, he jumped up from the couch and began looking around for any sign of the ice make wizard or Exceed. Bidding himself to calm down before he did something stupid, he quickly took a deep inhale of the air around him, catching the faint, wintry scent coming from outside. Taking a further moment, he heard voices from outside as well, showing that both were safe and sound and felt relief wash over him. Now that his moment of crisis was settled, he decided to wash up a little before confronting the two outside.

Outside where Gray and Happy stood, Gray was getting back in tune with his ice magic, doing a few common exercises to make small static items in the palm of his hands before he tried to move onto bigger things. He knew he shouldn't be working with his magic at all per the Master's orders but he didn't want to feel like a damn helpless princess in the face of Eriol whenever he decided to make a reappearance to claim what he had lost. The dragon lacryma was a dangerous thing to hold inside of him and could very well be taking a hold on him more but he just couldn't sit back and let people fight for him.

Gray had his trust in everyone. He knew they would find a way to remove the lacryma even if it did become completely fused to his body.

"You really sure you should be playing with your magic, Gray? You heard what the Master said." Happy told him as he fluttered next to him. "I know and I shouldn't be but I don't want to sit around when that mage comes back around and no one is around to help. It isn't a possibility sure but you can't be too careless. I did and look at what happened when I was unprepared for his tricks." Gray said as he looked to the Exceed. "Gray! Happy!" Natsu's voice rang from the direction of the house and the two glanced back to see him running towards them. "Natsu! About time you woke up!" Happy called as he reached the duo. "Well why didn't you wake me then?!" he groused as he glared at the flying cat. "Because you look like you needed the sleep!"

Gray watched the two as they went about their usual arguments, knowing well this was nothing new between the two but considering no one knew the secret home life the two lived, this was an interesting sight to behold when it wasn't at the guild. He smiled a little as he admired the bond the two shared, knowing well that their own interactions couldn't run as deep as the one Natsu had with Happy. Even the little fights they had on occasions when they rubbed each other the wrong way could be as natural as what the dragon slayer and Exceed held. A small frown pulled across his face at the thought. He could never imagine being as close to Natsu like this, artificial dragon emotions aside. Shaking the thought from his head as he shouldn't be focused on such a thing right now, he turned back to the tree that he was using as a target, the trunk still showing the frozen remains of the work he had done so far with physical attacks that weren't weaponized.

Building up his magic once more, a little pulling from the lacryma, he flung his fist forward, sending a heavy rush of ice towards the iced trunk. "You need to put some more force behind it." Natsu spoke from behind him which had made Gray jump a little. He turned to send a look his way. "Huh?"

"Force. If ya really want to knock someone lights out, you really have to put your all into it." Natsu continued as he stepped past him. "Just...like...this!" Covering a fist in a roaring flame, he swung hard at the tree Gray was using for practice, splintering the tree cleanly as it fell over, smoldering at the ends. He stood back up proudly and gave a cheeky grin to Gray.

"See?"

"Oh shut up, you showoff." Gray sniped and Natsu's grin fell. "Oi, I'm just helping you with some tips until we find that bastard!" Natsu barked right back. "If I need it then I'll ask for it!" Gray snapped back and both were in each other's faces in another shouting match which Happy shook his head to. But he had noticed however that compared to previous fights like this, this one didn't have as much bite as before. _'I wonder what changed...?'_ Happy had thought as the two continued to bicker before eventually splitting off to train in different parts of the forest for a good chunk of the day.

0

A few days later, the two headed back to check in with the guild to assure Gray didn't die...or kill Natsu. Makarov looked to the ice mage as he stood before him at the bar counter, old eyes watching him critically. "Nothing out of the ordinary, right?" Makarov questioned. "Nothing at all. My power from the lacryma leaks but nothing worth panicking over as it isn't life threatening like that crazy ass mage harped about." Gray replied. "What did he tell you?" Gray rubbed at his arm before giving a sigh. "He had told me that if left unchecked, my dragon magic could rival Iced Shell and if I can't control it, I could very well freeze the entire guild hall if not the whole of Magnolia in impenetrable ice." Makarov nodded, rubbing his chin silently.

"This may prove to be more of a hassle than originally thought. I don't want you to have any incidents with your magic but I also don't want the lacryma to fuse into you completely." he murmured to himself. Gray watched him before reaching out, setting a cool hand on the master's shoulder. "If it does escalate to that...I'll deal with it." he said softly. "It may not be Ur's magic anymore after that but I rather master dragon magic than to die by it." There was finality in his tone, showing his resolution should his fate turn to the worse possible outcome and Makarov nodded before letting out another soft sigh. "I am so sorry that this had happened to you, Gray. For me to deliberately put one of my own children in danger..."

"It's ok, Master. You didn't know. No one did. You have no reason to blame yourself for this. The guy was a weirdo and chances are what you had before was something that was good before you became a guild master and he decided to use that friendship as a golden opportunity to take one of your best wizard to use for a do or die experiment without you knowing of it until the very last moment." Makarov nodded once again, brow crinkling in thought. "The search for Eriol is still going. We haven't found a trace of him from where he was before or anywhere nearby. When we do find him, we'll make him pay for what he did to you."

"As long as I get first crack at him!" Natsu shouted from across the bar.

Gray smiled and thanked Makarov for his assistance on such a tedious search before moving to take a seat a few down from where he was situated and asked for a drink from Mirajane. Natsu watched him silently once the two's conversation was done. While he knew the entire guild was ready to defend Gray's honor, to Natsu he felt this was a personal thing solely for him. He already had an inkling why but what got to him is why he felt the need to extend such protection even after the inevitable end of Eriol. Now, as he looked at Gray, it wasn't much of a spark of rivalry that would make him get up and pick a fight with him that would eventually include the entire guild and another round of payment to rebuild what they destroyed. Now...it was more like the need of possession and to keep him from others that would hurt him.

That fact still boggled his mind and while two sides of him were pulling to make the right decision on the matter of Gray and the dragon within him. At that point he really wished Igneel was around to help with this as he was sure the elder dragon would know what needed to be done to quell the fire dragon welling in him. Natsu took a moment to glance around the guild hall at the other two matured slayers that were in the guild.

He was sure one of them would know more than they let on by appearances but the matter at hand was who he should ask. On one hand, there was Laxus. Not the ideal person in his mind after all he pulled before but compared to his other choice, he was the better option as a dragon slayer with a lacryma and knew how to adapt to the artificial dragon. But the only problem though would be will he hold the knowledge to the questions he had to ask. Natsu sighed before looking to the other available dragon slayer candidate...

Gajeel.

Natsu can only imagine so many things wrong with asking him but compared to Laxus who was in the same boat as Gray and probably had no form of romantic interest in anyone here as far as he was concerned, he would probably know more about dragon slayer instinct with their inner dragon. He groaned silently at the thought of asking him but his hands were tied as he was the best option. Wendy was too young to know this stuff and he was sure Grandeeney wouldn't tell her this stuff at her age either. Also Carla would rip him a new one if he tried. He grumbled to himself before standing and moved to where Gajeel was stationed, the iron dragon slayer in question having a hearty meal with iron scraps that he brought in. When the fire dragon slayer stopped before his table, he glanced up.

"What d'you want?"

"I...I...I can't believe I'm asking you of all people...but I need...advice..."

Swallowing the piece of iron he was chewing on, he gave a sharp grin. "Mating troubles, isn't it?" Natsu could hear the smugness in his voice at his lacking knowledge of basic mating rituals for dragon slayers and growled a bit. "What? The great fire dragon king didn't teach you what to do when dragon slayers find a mate? Oh man you are such a wyrm." he jeered. "Shut up! Will you help me or not?! I'm only asking you because you're the only other slayer here raised by a dragon that was of age to know this stuff..." he hissed. "If I did help you...what's in it for me?" Gajeel questioned. "I don't know! What do you want?!" Natsu snapped, trying to keep his voice low to avoid drawing attention. Last thing he wanted was for Gray to find out. Gajeel rubbed his chin before grinning. "I won't tell you right this second but I'll help ya. If you succeed with your mate, then I'll give you my payment request for the assistance."

Natsu gritted his teeth but knew he had no choice...although he was beginning to reevaluate the idea of asking Laxus. "Fine...you got a deal but so help me I will kill you if it's something embarrassing." he grumbled. "I'll let you stew on that for a good long time while I teach you." Gajeel cooed mockingly before giving a short laugh as he took another bite of the iron. Natsu growled yet again. He hated this, he hated it so much that even the dragon inside hated it but as he looked across the room to where Gray was, the amount of supposed humiliation he would have to deal with in Gajeel's hand was nothing compared to the thought of being together with Gray. Fully bonded with him and the dragon inside so he could really protect him from the bastard that had hurt him.

_'Soon...I'll protect you...'_


	4. Chapter 4

Later that day, Gray left the guild hall to head back into the forest where Natsu's home resided to train a little more. He knew he was probably stepping over the limits of how much he should be using his magic while the dragonslayer lacryma was still inside of him. He just didn't want to feel useless again like he did when he was captured by Eriol the first time. Gray rather not suffer a repeat performance in the event he was caught again to finish whatever twisted research Eriol still had planned for him. Next to that there was also the matter of these ever subtle but powerful charm of emotions he was getting for the fire dragonslayer of all people he could be around. He still can't phantom the reason why when he was so used to being polar opposites of the other. Maybe it was something only dragonslayers experienced. Even after being around three of them, four if one counted Laxus and his artificial lacryma, he never saw any react in the same way as he does. Maybe it was just a passing thing. Or so he hoped was the case.

With that thought in mind, he took in a small breath and let it out before he focused on his training once more. Punch after punch, claw after claw, Gray was improving despite the slow leak of ice magic surrounding him and freezing the ground below him. When Natsu and Happy came back, they saw the result of his intense training and yet another spat began between the fire and ice mages.

"You ice block! Didn't Master tell you to not go overboard!?"

"Oh, that's rich coming from the guy that goes nuts on the field... ** _MULTIPLE_** times!"

"At least my dragon power is natural! You don't want to be like this forever, do you!?" Natsu snarled. Gray was quiet at this, knowing full well he had the one up on him about that very fact with the artificial lacryma inside of him. But that of course didn't stop him from barking one last thing to Natsu out of anger. "Well I'm sorry I'm like this! I don't want to be a fake dragonslayer forever but also don't want to end up caught again either!" Gray snapped before marching himself back into the house. When he heard the door slam, it was like a cold slap of reality to Natsu's face courtesy of Gray's own ice magic and it didn't help that the sharp bite of his own magic reminded him that he wasn't helping matters or their chances to claim him. "Natsu, how could you? You know Gray is still sensitive and getting used to all this...we don't even know for sure if we can remove that lacryma so of course he's trying to make the best of it without thinking of the worse." Happy muttered as he floated beside the other dragonslayer. "Happy, you didn't even begin to try and stop me from putting my foot in my mouth." Natsu huffed. "Well it isn't my fault you decided to be an insensitive jerk."

Natsu was about to make a nasty rebuttal but wisely held his tongue and moved to the house in hopes to make amends with the irate ice mage turned dragonslayer. If he didn't reign in that explosive temper of his, not only will he lose custody of watching Gray but also the dragon within would kick him repeatedly in ways he didn't want to imagine. Cautiously, Natsu knocked on the door before stepping back to wait. When he got no response, he tried to call out to Gray. "Gray? Gray please come out...I'm sorry for what I said." Natsu simpered as he waited patiently, a feat most would think could never happen when it came to Natsu. It took a bit but finally, the door clicked and opened, revealing the ever peeved ice dragonslayer mage. "I'll forgive you but give me shit like that again and I'm freezing your ass." he grumbled.

"Sure, sure! I promise!"

"Alright then..." Gray stated before stepping out. "Now I like fish as much as the next guy but we're going into town to eat. No way I'm changing my diet because I started living with you." Natsu nodded and called for Happy who flew over to them and they soon headed off back for Magnolia but left completely oblivious to the surveillance lacryma that was watching them deeper in the forest where its magic wouldn't be noticed by either of the trio.

0

"Ah, so that's where you're hiding now. This may prove to be a challenge but nothing my expertise can't handle. That puny fire mage won't be able to protect you for long, Fullbuster..."

A devious cackle rang through the halls of the abandoned mansion that Eriol made into his own lair for experimentations. He knew well it won't be much longer before Gray was in his hands once more. All he had to do was set the bait and make sure that Natsu was thoroughly out of commission so his plans would go unhindered. Of course, Eriol himself didn't know just what his experimentations had caused and his dreams of splitting the two apart would be much harder than he anticipated.

0

It was another week now, still no sign of Eriol and Gray making subtle improvements with his dragonslayer magic. Even though the consequences of the situation were dire when it came to embedding the lacryma further into his very form, Makarov was impressed by Gray's improvement over his newfound dragon magic. At the same time, Natsu had been disappearing often without telling anyone which was beginning to worry the ice mage. Not even Happy knew of his whereabouts and he tells him everything. In the guild hall was where Gray sat now, solemn expression on his face as he sat in with the rest of the guild. He joined in on the conversations when he was directed into them but otherwise, he was surprisingly quiet. Eventually with time the ice mage and the cat left to return home or at least the temporary home for Gray. With Natsu on the other hand, he was on the outskirts of Magnolia with Gajeel at his side. "Alright, so you said ya know what's going on with me. What is it?" Natsu questioned.

"It's simple, flame breath. What's going on with you is that your dragon instincts are starting to mature. Why they haven't by now is beyond me but either way, the case is with them maturing, you're beginning to seek out a mate."

"A mate?!"

"Did I stutter? Yes, a _mate!_ Did you ever have the sensation of someone speaking to you? Telling you to mark, claim and love?"

Natsu blinked before nodding slowly. "Ok then, and when you heard that, who was the person at the forefront of your mind?" Gajeel questioned, crossing his arms as sharp eyes glared down at the smaller dragonslayer before him. "That was...Gray...he was on my mind ever since we rescued him..." he murmured. "Then he became your destined mate." Gajeel confirmed. "But why him!?" Natsu screeched. "Probably many things but the main one is obviously being a fresh dragonslayer with no dragon to train him, your dragon nature wants to be the one to model him into the perfect mate for you and you alone. Every dragonslayer is different. Metalicana told me that. It's not uncommon for two experienced dragonslayers to be destined to each other but when a practical newborn dragonslayer is thrown in, then your instincts will go haywire to appease and claim the dragon before anyone else." Natsu gave a nod, finding that to make perfectly good sense even for him but also led to another question that began to come to mind. "Wait...if any dragonslayer would jump on this...what about you?"

Gajeel chuckled and the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise. "Gajeel...tell me what you're planning!" Gajeel was quiet even longer, barely acknowledging Natsu's anger and just before the other could snap to instinct and attack the iron dragonslayer, Gajeel raised a hand, grinning still. "Don't worry...that was a test. Had to see how serious you were about this or else I'd be wasting my time with you if you didn t want Fullbuster." he spoke and Natsu growled, still highly wary of him but deflated a bit from his boiling furor enough to be able to listen. "Now, since you're serious about everything you shown so far, the first step is to make sure you'll provide a safe haven for your mate."

"I'm already doing that!"

"Yeah but who knows what that damn mage that did this to him is capable of. We don't know what he's capable of aside from the ability to insert false lacryma into people. He could have plenty more magic hiding away and therefore your place won't always be the safest location for much longer once he reappears. Have other locations to relocate to just in case. You wouldn't want to lose him again, do you?" Natsu shook his head vehemently. "Good, now we're getting somewhere."

"Now what?" Natsu questioned. "Now you go and prove that you can provide a good setting of safety. He agreed to live with you by Master's orders but it won't soothe the dragon inside of him if there's any chance of your home and haven being breached." Gajeel explained as he paced around Natsu. Natsu nodded slowly before going to hop up from the edge of the wall he sat on. "Thanks for the info!" he called as he went to leave only for the back of his vest to be caught. "We're not done yet. You still have a lot to learn before you both are comfortable with your mating urges." Gajeel stated before letting him go and Natsu gulped a little, nodding before making his way home.

He was getting too eager to court his chosen mate but he also knew well if he didn't listen to a word of Gajeel's advice, he's going to screw up royally and lose that opportunity faster than he could fix it.

Gray wasn't delicate but the dragon within was. If the fire dragon that embodies Natsu didn't go out of its way to prove himself, that ice dragon will spurn those advances.

0

When Natsu got back to his house, everything was eerily quiet and he didn't like that one bit. He did decide to make a stop at the guild hall to see and Lucy was the one to tell him that Gray and Happy left to head back to his place. So there he was and there was no sign of either coming out when he came in. "Happy? Gray? Come on, where are you?!" he called as he looked around the forest, ears alert for any unfamiliar sounds. Natsu heard the soft clattering of pots and pans from inside and moved over to the door, digging out his key from its hiding spot before stepping inside. The sounds were getting louder the further he walked in before he was met with an astonishing sight. Gray was chatting with Happy as he was preparing some fish. Said cat was salivating at the thought of eating the fish Gray was making since it was being prepared much differently than what he was accustomed to with roasting over an open fire. Natsu could only watch in silence, the dragon within near purring in delight of his soon to be mate already taking on the role of den mother so easily.

"Alright, Happy. Let's take these out to grill. Got the basket?"

"Aye!"

The two turned and yelped when they saw Natsu standing there. "When did you get here!?" Happy questioned. "Just a few minutes ago." Natsu replied with a shrug when he was finally acknowledged. "Then why the hell were you so quiet?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Gray barked. "I...! I..." Natsu stuttered then went quiet, looking down in disappointment of the fear he caused his chosen mate. Gray was still waiting for an explanation, tray still in hand as he watched the other dragonslayer. "...Well?" Gray asked again, this time softer to catch Natsu's attention again. "I...I just didn't want to interrupt you two. You were really into your conversation...and the fish smells good too..." Natsu finally spoke as he looked into Gray's eyes. Gray huffed before giving a nod. "Come on then. You can come cook with us." he spoke as he and Happy headed out the door but Natsu didn't immediately follow behind. He stood rooted to that spot, inhaling deeply and purred in content. For one that has been an artificial dragonslayer for a short amount of time, he was quickly maturing and his scent was becoming powerful. That in itself will become a very dangerous bargain for Natsu as his dragon instinct was pushing him to mark Gray as his own before someone like Laxus or Gajeel decided to get to him.

But he knew well enough he had to force the urge down. If he did anything irrational, Gray would avoid him for the rest of his time til the lacryma was removed and he couldn't afford that chance.

_But this scent..._

Natsu took another heavy whiff of the air. He felt himself drawn into the literal scene painting its way over his subconscious as he closed his eyes from Gray's potent scent. Like freshly fallen snow amongst the towering field of pine. Such a fragrant, raw scent and Natsu only want to linger a little longer right where he was. But the moment didn't last forever as Happy called to him from outside to help light the pile of wood for the fish. Natsu groaned in disdain, knowing well that this new challenge won't be easy on him but the thought of what waiting will be worth for in the end made him gain enough will to persevere.

_He'll be mine soon enough...I'll roast anyone that gets in my way..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning that the original plot made for this story will contain no mention of the recent events due to the original time of this story's creation on FF.net was before all was dropped of dragon/demon seeds and E.N.D. for Natsu.


End file.
